HBO’s epic series “Rome” has everything I ask for in a TV series: coherent plot, full frontal nudity, senseless and graphic hyperviolence, contemporary relevance and deft comic relief. With the first season now available on DVD (in an impressive faux-wood box set), it’s a hell of a lot more piquant (and practical) than taking a few years to slog through Gibbon’s authoritative omnibus on the subject.

“Rome,” for obvious reasons, centers on Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds), but the main characters, are two rank and file—plebian soldiers named Lucius Vorenes (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), whose Odd Couple-esque misadventures constantly put them in the middle of whatever historic shitstorm happens to be going down.

Other characters are no less inspired. From well-endowed succubus Atia of the Julii (Polly Walker) to canny and calculating Octavian, all of the casting is spot on. Youthful transgressions abound as the precocious Octavian (Max Pirkis), future Emperor of Rome, fornicates with his sister, Octavia (Kerry Condon). It’s also worth noting that Octavia, at the time she was boning her brother, was maintaining an illicit lesbian affair with another noblewoman. Not that I’m into that kind of thing. Throughout it all Mark Antony (James Purefoy), Caesar’s rakish and perpetually smirking right hand man, displays an entertaining consanguinity for sex, violence and caustic musings. 

“Rome” also has what could be the finest sports moment in cinematic history. In the penultimate episode of the first season, churlish ne’er do well Pullo has managed to run afoul of the law and is sentenced to die in the gladiatorial arena. In the bloodbath that follows, the timeless qualities of brotherhood, loyalty and justice are celebrated in a crimson shower of severed limbs and decapitated torsos. (A “shot-by-shot” featurette reveals the complexity of creating the gory extreme action.)

Obviously, the season finale could be nothing but a bit of a letdown, especially since it comes as no surprise when Caesar gets his hubristic comeuppance. Uninspired soundtrack and overly-anglicized dialogue are the only things that mar this otherwise fantastic series. The bonus featurettes and interactive onscreen guide go even further to prepare for what’s sure to be a shamelessly sexy battle for the future of Rome in season two.